Congress reaches a deal on plan to raise the debt ceiling and avoid a U.S. default
Republicans and Democrats have agreed on a plan to raise the government’s debt ceiling–it’s not simple or elegant and it has the reminds me of one of those Rube Goldberg machines that use a bowling ball to feed the dog. But, I’ll take it to avoid a...
Could that be a debt ceiling/budget deal I see?
The White House and congressional Democrats are nearing a deal to raise the debt ceiling for two years and fund the government, CNBC, the Wall St Street Journal and other sources are reporting today. The deal would suspend the debt ceiling limit for two years and put...
The financial markets are in shock at Washington’s debt plans
Notice that the signing of a bill early this morning to keep the government open and to fund operations for two years hasn’t resulted in a serious rally in either stocks or bonds. As of 11:30 a.m. New York time the Dow Jones Industrial Average was off 0.18%, or...
Forget about stability–bond fears driving stocks lower again
Here we go again. After a pause that raised hopes that the slide in U.S. stocks was over, today the sell off has resumed. As of 3:30 p.m. New York time, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was lower by 2.53%, or 629 points, to 24,264. The S&P 500 stock index was...
Price tag for keeping the government open: $500 billion added to deficit
The Senate is set to vote later today on a deal that would fund the government for two years and add $500 billion in new spending to a deficit already pegged at north of $1 trillion. The deal is extremely likely to pass the Senate–it’s got something for...
Congress successfully punts on a government shut down–but creates an impossible January
Yesterday Congress did indeed find a way to pass a bill that extends government funding from today’s December 22 deadline until January 19. Congress achieved this goal by punting on just about everything. The legislation included a waiver so that the automatic...
It’s a new month but the same old Congress–as a debt-ceiling deal descends into usual chaos
Please extend the greeting of your choice to the U.S. Congress, back in “action” today after a long August recess. This morning Democrats said they would vote for a disaster relief package for victims of Hurricane Harvey if Republicans attached the measure...
The bond market gets nervous about the debt ceiling and other DC shenanigans
You wouldn’t know that there was anything to worry about from the U.S. stock market. So what that the President of the United States has threatened to shut down the government unless Congress funds The Wall. So what that the promised tax cuts so near and dear to...
Trump’s threat to shut down the government if Congress doesn’t vote funding to build The Wall unnerves Wall Street today
We all know, somewhere inside our heads and hearts, that getting Congress to pass a debt ceiling increase by the September 29 deadline set by the Treasury Secretary, and also to pass a budget or at least a continuing resolution to fund operations of the government...
Good luck on getting that done: Debt ceiling truce looks to be over (if it ever really existed)
Back on August 2–you know, a week ago–it looked like, maybe, raising the debt ceiling wouldn’t be impossible after all. Sure time was short, very short. There were only 12 working days when both houses of Congress were in session before Treasury...
How the log jam among Republicans in Congress works from here on the budget and tax cuts
You can never be absolutely certain a bill has gone down to final defeat in this Republican-controlled Congress, but it certainly looks, as of late Tuesday night, that the Republican effort to repeal and  replace  Obamacare  has died in the Senate–and that a...
My forecast of the big events and macro trends for the year ahead: The 12 most dangerous months of 2017
I’ve got good news for all those who didn’t find 2016 volatile enough. Yep, 2017 looks likely to top 2016 for volatility. Hard to imagine, perhaps. Even though the CBOE S&P 500 Volatility Index (VIX) spent much of the year near multi-year lows, because...Jim’s Daily Email Alerts:
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